NC to challenge J&K govt's new recruitment policy 'legally'

Opposition National Conference (NC) on Thursday attacked the state government over changes in the new recruitment policy in Jammu and Kashmir terming it as "cruel-joke" and said the party will consider challenging it "legally".

Srinagar: Opposition National Conference (NC) on Thursday attacked the state government over changes in the new recruitment policy in Jammu and Kashmir terming it as "cruel-joke" and said the party will consider challenging it "legally".

"PDP-BJP Government's cosmetic recycling of its anti-youth recruitment policy is an indication of its insensitivity and arrogance and this as a cruel joke with those unemployed educated youth who had been promised that this policy would not be implemented," NC spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu said here.

He said the policy continues to be "anti-youth and illogical" and has a lot of gray areas which put the future of the unemployed youth in peril.

"Both these parties, while in opposition, objected to any contractual, stipendiary recruitment policy were new recruits would be placed in a phase of probation before being permanently employed with full grade and scale benefits.

The NC spokesman said the party would stand by the educated unemployed youth of the State against the "atrocious, anti-youth policy" and that the party would explore all possible options, including legal, to challenge the policy.

"Now the PDP-BJP Government has defied its own previous stands by enacting a recruitment policy which has even more adverse features based on the premise of opposition to a stipendiary, contractual mode of employment for the youth. The U-turn Government has enacted a spectacular U-turn here as well?playing with the future of our youth," the NC spokesman said.

Mattu also alleged that the coalition government had not only ignored the objections raised by Governor N N Vohra over the policy but also sidelined his role which was mandated by the ordinance route earlier.

"First the Government chose the route of an ordinance and sought the Governor's approval. The Governor, in his wisdom and to protect the interests of the youth, rightfully returned the proposal to the Government after raising specific objections to contradictions and anti-youth features of this policy.

"Now, after the Governor was involved in this process, the Government has not only ignored the objections raised by the Governor but also sidelined his role ? which was mandated by the ordinance route earlier. This whole evasion of the Governor's role and this unambiguous sidelining of the objections raised is not only fishy and unbecoming but also reeks of arrogance and tyranny by this anti-youth Government," Mattu said.